Maria V Kalevitch, Paul Badger, Bill Dress and Valentine I Kefeli
Keywords: Manufactured soils, trace elements, soil health and sustainability.
Abstract: Information on plot-specific background concentrations of trace metals in manufactured soils is critical for evaluating performance of soil manufacturing recipes and for monitoring the annual bio-availability of trace metals. In this project, total concentrations of trace metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and macro nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, P, N) in manufactured soil samples were determined. Seven soil samples were analyzed for pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), extractable phosphate and sulfate, total concentrations of trace metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and macro nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, P). A subset of these metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb) are indicators of contamination by acid mine drainage or manufacturing byproducts in the manufactured soil recipe. Average precision for elements Cu, Mg, Fe, Mn, K, and Zn were < 15% relative standard deviation (RSD) using Method 3051.
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